Parenting And Ethics Essays - Antinatalism, Demography, Family

Parenting And Ethics Family Friendly for Whose Family? Do workers without children reap the same rewards as do their colleagues who are parents? Equal work for equal pay has long been the American mantra, but are parents more equal? The childfree say it is dangerous to promote one lifestyle and set of personal choices above others. Granting special privileges to those that reproduce creates unprivilege and subtle social pressure for those that don't. Parenting is a choice. With that choice comes responsibilities. In the last decade, as parents have struggled to balance responsibilities at home and at work, they have simultaneously raised the bar politically and in the workplace. During the 106th Congress, dozens of bills were introduced to increase the child tax credit, award stay-at-home parent grants to return to school, and expand the 1993 Family and Medical Leave Act. Childless adults have had enough. They feel they have become second-class citizens in the eyes of their government and their employers. They say family-friendly policies that have become the norm, place an unfair burden on childfree workers and don't consider their families or lifestyles. Is it fair to give tax credits to parents regardless of income? (CNN 1) Should the childfree be expected to work extra hours because they don't have children? Should employee benefit plans reward fertility rather than longevity or merit? The childfree see a world of colleagues who are stressed out because they've chosen to believe the lie--you can have it all. (Burkett 55) You can have children, careers, and excel at both. They say we've taken a step backward to the days when married men made more than women doing the same work because they had families to support. They've watched as children invade places sacred to adults such as R-rated movies and the workplace itself, (Belkin 32) employers create benefit packages that are full of maternity leave, pregnancy coverage, and other child-friendly perks that mean parents effectively earn more than non parents for doing the same job. They've grown tired of parents who play the kiddie card and exempt themselves from overtime, travel, weekend, and holiday duty as well as employers who expect non parents to take up the slack. They watch as parents get away with things like bringing children to work, coming in late because of day-care issues, or working at home to save on child care. The childfree are mad and they're not taking it anymore. For a starter, they reject the term childless. Childless has a connotation of loss or regret. Childfree implies satisfaction and deliberate choice. To be childfree means giving thought to not having children as opposed to the contemplation most parents give to having them. (Belkin 33) While in the past adult workers without children may have grumbled privately about the benefits afforded their coworkers with children for fear of being called child haters, they have recently begun to organize. Two groups in particular, the Childfree Network and No Kidding! and have emerged to give voice to what may turn out to be a political/social movement to protect the rights of adults without children. (Burkett 45) The Childfree Network is a four-year-old organization with a mailing list of 5,000 people and regional chapters in 33 cities. It focuses on several issues--political and social. First and foremost is respect for the decision to be childfree. People are childfree for many reasons, but whether it is by choice or circumstance, it is a lifestyle that deserves as much respect as any other lifestyle choice. No one goes up to the mother of an infant and says *Just wait, you'll change your mind, yet choosing to remain childfree will definitely cause people to see you as odd. Society places pressure on people to have children against their better judgement. The childfree point to the number of abused and neglected children as evidence that without societal pressure to reproduce, more people would realize that they don't want children. Another issue the organization is tackling is that some workplaces actually are child-friendly, not family-friendly. In these companies, benefits are structured with more opportunities for parents, and less flexibility for non parents. The childfree point to the fact that some employers expect childless employees to fill in when parents take

Success of China Economy

Success of China Economy Introduction There has been a phenomenal growth of the Chinese economy over the last decade. The exceptional growth in China has been forecasted to continue in most of the sectors. The main problem faced by China is the lack of mobility of resources from one place to where they are needed. China’s GDP in 2000 grew more than six times that of 1980;it exceeded US$ 1,000billion (Wang Liu, 2006, p.8).Advertising We will write a custom essay sample on Success of China Economy specifically for you for only $16.05 $11/page Learn More There has been tremendous growth of the total economic volume which has improved commodity supply to the economy as well as improving the people’s living conditions. Industrialization has also accelerated moving from lower level of uneven development to levels of balanced development. China has strong prospects of sustaining strong economic growth and trade expansion in the future. China GDP The GDP represent the total m arket value of all final goods and services produced within a country in a given time period (Makiw 2008, p.496). GDP is viewed as the total expenditure in the economy. To help us understand GDP, I will discuss the composition of GDP.GDP is given by Y= C + I + G + NX. Where: Y represents the GDP C denotes consumption by household, I denote investment G – Government expenditure NX – Net export (Mankiw 2009, p. 496). According to the World Bank Report (2000), the total GDP for China stood at $5.879 Trillion in the year 2010. Annual GDP growth rate Year 2006 2007 2008 2009 2010 Growth rate in% 12.7 14.2 9.6 9.2 10.3 (Source: World Bank. http://data.worldbank.org/indicator/NY.GDP.MKTP.KD.ZG) The double digit growth rate for over a decade has made China the second largest economy in the world. Some economists believe that the growth rate might go down and stabilize at 8% due to global meltdown of exports. China growing export has been the key driving force of the country’s economy.Advertising Looking for essay on business economics? Let's see if we can help you! Get your first paper with 15% OFF Learn More Since the global downturn is hurting China’s economy, the government is adjusting the development pattern with the growing domestic consumption. According to World Bank Report (2000), the country’s annual trade surplus is expected to be around 2 percent of the GDP this year. China has experienced an average of 10 percent of GDP. With 10.3 percent growth of GDP in 2010 China overtook Japan as the second largest economy after Japan. China is expected to post an annual growth of 9 percent in the year 2011 despite the sluggish growth in the world economy. Reasons for Rapid Economic Growth The rapid economic growth of China over the last 30 years has astonished many people. The growth has been consistent despite varying economic trends in the world economy. There is an economic law that the country applied in order to achieve such growth. The driving forces of the China economy include high quality human capital and market institutions that are functional (Chow, 2010, p. 43). Human capital entails the capabilities of the working society, the skills and the work ethics of the labor force. It also includes the resourcefulness of entrepreneurs who take charge of business enterprises. Quality human capital is something that has been historically integrated in the cultural tradition of the Chinese society. The quality of human capital cannot be measured by the year of schooling only. Economists should incorporate the work ethics and ingenuity of the labor force. These qualities have been improved over time and passed over from one generation to another. Unemployment in China Unemployment is determined by the number of people who are not working but are able to work and are therefore looking for employment in a given time period. Unemployment RateAdvertising We will write a custom essay sample on Success of China Economy specifically for you for only $16.05 $11/page Learn More Year 2006 2007 2008 2009 2010 Rate in % 4.1 4 4.2 4.3 4.1 (Source: State Statistical Bureau) Despite China registering economic growth of more than 10 percent for a decade, unemployment remains one of the economic problems facing the country with the unemployment rate standing at 4.1 percent. There has been wide spread urban unemployment crisis since 1990 (Warner, 2007, p.4). Although there is an economic growth that has contributed to the creation of jobs, the level of unemployment remain high because the jobs created cannot absorb all seeking employment. After adopting communism China promised its citizens jobs. Many years later, enterprises have leaned towards capitalistic ideologies which have led to inefficiencies in the state owned enterprises. Competition and introduction has made the enterprises relieve employees of their duties in an attempt to maintain the enterprises. The enterprises adopted the reforms to be able to compete in the global market. Current Account China pegs its currency, the Yuan to the U.S. dollar and maintains a fixed exchange rate. Net Current Account is given by: Net Current Account = Net Capital Account [(Exports – Imports) + Net Unilateral = [(Private Capital outflow – Inflow) + Transfers] change in foreign Exchange Reserves] (Morrison, Labonte Sanford, 2006, p.15). Any increase in net exports or net private capital must be matched with an equal increase in foreign exchange reserves so as to maintain the exchange rate peg. The most important part of current account is the balance of trade. The changes in pattern of trades with other trading partners remain the key drivers in the current account of China.Advertising Looking for essay on business economics? Let's see if we can help you! Get your first paper with 15% OFF Learn More Positive net export causes a surplus in the current account of an economy and the amount of surplus depends on the amount of positive net export. A deficit in the current account is accounted for by negative net export. Current account surplus will significantly depend on the exports. China Surplus on Current Account, percent of GDP Year 2006 2007 2008 2009 2010 % 9.5 11.0 10.0 9.6 8.6 (Source: International Monetary Fund, World Economic Outlook 2011, Table 2.4 p. 73) China Fiscal Indicators Government Revenue and their ratio t GDP Year 2006 2007 2008 2009 2010 Revenue in Billion Yuan 3876.02 5132.18 6137.70 6850.20 7857.44 Ratio of Revenue to GDP in % 18 22 20 23 24 (Source: National Bureau of Statistics of PRC, Statistical Yearbook of China, 2006-2010). The revenue from the China government has been on the rise over the years reflecting a tremendous growth in the year 2006-2010.Comparing between years 2009 and 2010,China’s revenue growth rate is about 14% which is higher than the increase in GDP for the same period. The government revenue is majorly derived from taxes through consumption, corporate income and imports. Revenue increase has been the main objective of the government so as to finance public expenditure and prevent deficit. Government Expenditure and their ratio to GDP Year 2008 2009 Expenditure in Billion Yuan 6,243 7,624 Ratio of Expenditure to GDP in % 23 24 (Source: The government’s budget statement 2008-09, Hang Seng Bank). It can be observed that there has been deficit in year 2008 and 2009. This trend is expected to continue in the coming years since the government will require extensive amount of revenue to finance its numerous development plans despite the economic slowdown. Monetary Indicators The major monetary indicators of the China economy are money supply and the rate of inflation. China is the country with the largest money supply and has been printing its currency at a very fast rate. Acc ording to statistics from the central People’s Bank of China, China’s broad money supply rose to 7103 trillion Yuan in the year 2010. The money supply is larger than that of US and Japan. The regulations carried out by People’s Bank of China require that for every US$1 increase in foreign exchange reserves, the bank has to release an equivalent amount of Yuan into the economy (Financial Times, 2010a). China exports and Imports According to World Bank report (2000), China exports were worth 1.575 Trillion USD 2010.The growth of export has continued to be the support of China rapid economic growth. China exports of goods and services constitute around 39.7 % of its GDP. Major exports include: office machines, telecommunication equipment, electrical machinery and clothing. Major markets for China exports include European Union, USA, Japan and South Korea. Imports in the year 2010 1.33 Trillion USD Chinas import surged in the month of October 2011 as export grew at a slower rate. This has led to China focusing on domestic demand so as to cushion it against economic the decreasing exports. Imports from the major trading partners have increased significantly. The increase in imports is attributable to the increase of living standards in China allowing people to imports goods from the international markets. The growth of export is as a result of increased competitiveness of China goods and increased foreign investments. China foreign reserve According to peoples Bank of China, China foreign exchange reserve stood at US $ 3.2 Trillion in June 2011. When China joined World Trade Organization (WTO) in 2001, there was rapid growth in both imports and exports. Foreign direct investment flows exceeded US$ 60 billion by the year 2006. For the first time, China’s foreign exchange reserves exceeded USD 1 trillion in October 2006. The continuous development of the countrys economy has led to the rapid growth of foreign exchange reserve with China at tracting international investment in terms of foreign trade and foreign capital utilization. Rising Oil Prices Effect on China’s Economy It is no doubt that China national economy is been threatened by the rising international oil prices. The price of oil has recently gone up and this has affected the Chinese economy. The oil prices in China have even hit US$32 per barrel and this has a significant effect on the economy. According to experts, this skyrocketing of prices has threatened the Chinese national economy stability. However, the effect may not be felt much because the economy’s dependence on international oil is still very low; that is within 20% warning mark. The large fluctuation in oil prices has benefited the Chinese petroleum industry. In 2000, for example, the China Petroleum and Natural Gas Group had higher performance in terms of profitability compared to the same period in 1999. It made a 4.4-fold increase from the same period in 1999. The total earnin gs were 29.1 billion Yuan which was a high mark that period. Statistics has it that petrochemical industry was put under much pressure by the fluctuation of oil prices. To curb the challenge the industry has introduced management style that will cut on expenditure and in unison reduce the material use. Since Chinas Crude oil as well as refined oil value was ranked together with those in the international market, the costs have increased simultaneously with those of the international markets. Consequently, a recession’s step in when the costs are raise and the demand depreciates. Moreover, investments are reduced. Petroleum accounts for a large proportion of economy which is the reason why the government of China seeks to intervene in the situation. The imbalance between companies that benefit from high oil prices while others realize low profit is a concern to the Chinese government. The government is capable of making appropriate amendments in macroeconomics to influence the national economy positively. It is capable of adjusting to fluctuations in the globe. Impacts of global slowdown on China Global market recession has had negative impacts in different parts of the globe. Less production and daunting job markets have been witnessed. China has been affected and shows quick recovery. Industrial, construction and manufacturing sectors have been affected negatively (Diao et al, 2010, p. 32). China has indicated resistance besides relying on exports. Although the exports have declined other factors like political, social and market strategies have been seen as the reason for the resistance. Unlike in the west, the society in China is characterized by equality. China advocates for socialism and views capitalism as the cause for inequality in the west. Changes in the economy to advocate for free market have been adopted. However, the government controls over 50 percent of the states property. This makes it easy to implement policies that enable economic gr owth. The confidence of the consumer is secured and contributes to the stability of the market. Propaganda when effectively utilized makes the citizens lift negative sentiments of global recession. The media is not allowed to freely release government information that may cause anxiety to investors and citizens. Moreover, the possibly of the media exaggerating and blowing the scene out of proportion is eliminated (Wang, 2010, p. 1). China has experienced low demand for its export owing to the global slowdown. A number of industries have reduced the production and labor force while other have closed down. The government in response set aside fund for increase in infrastructure and environmental protection. Effects of Global slowdown (Source: WTO wto.org/english/news_e/pres11_e/pr628_e.htm) The chart shows that the number of merchandise has increased in the past years allowing China to have a high GDP growth in 2011. The future of business in China The economy of China is expected to grow in the future. China has the potential to grow. It lays emphasis on education and funds schools. Moreover, it has invested heavily in research. Research enables the Chinese government to make note of key areas for development. China has maintained a steady growth of economy in the past years and has reduced the level of poverty in the region (Zhongmin, 2009). The Chinese population is aging and in the future the younger generation will be employed and contributing to the national economy (State statistical Bureau, 2010). It is inappropriate to assume that in the future the economy will be prevailing without considering the aging population. Consequently, China should continually recruit and train the younger generation to replace the workforce. Political factors play a major role in determining the economy of a state. China is not exception and political factors may positively or negatively affect the economy (Newberry, 2007, p. 1). China is improving the domestic demand and i mproving industrial structure to increase the exports and focuses on rural development. On changing strategy, China will be able to overcome global slowdown and lead in the global market (Chiu, 2011, p. 1). Conclusion China is the Second largest Economy in the world. It has maintained an economic grow of above 9 percent. The economic growth is as a result of the increasing exports. After the global recession Chinas economy has been affected with a decline in the number of exports. China’s GDP has been 10 percent. Economists fear that the GDP may reduce to 8 percent with the effects of global slowdown. High quality human capital and functional market institutions have been the strong holds of the Chinese economy. China has a large number of unemployment contrary to the economic growth (Financial Times, 2011c). Chinese currency has maintained affixed exchange rate to the dollar. The revenue growth rate stands at 14 percent in 2010. The revenue is collected from taxes on consump tion, corporate income and imports. According to People, s daily (2011), China has experienced a deficit and requires more revenue especially in the period of economic slowdown. China has a large supply of money and in 2010 7103 trillion Yuan were printed. 5.1 percent inflation has been realized in China. The government of China has intervened with commodity prices of basic commodities to create social and economic stability. Reference List Chiu, L., 2011. China’s response to the Global Finance Crisis. Available at http://chineseculture.about.com/od/thechinesegovernment/a/Chinaeconomy.htm Chow, G. C., 2010. Interpreting China’s Economy. London: World Scientific Diao, X., Zhang., Chen, K. Z., 2010. Country- Level Impact of Global Recession and China’s Stimulus Package. Available at ifpri.org/sites/default/files/publications/ifpridp00979.pdf Financial Times., 2010a. â€Å"China Inflation Surges to 25-Month High†. Financial Times, 11 November. Financial T imes., 2011c. â€Å"China Steps up Fight against Inflation†. Financial Times, 14 January Mankiw, G. N., 2008. Principles of Economics. Mason: South-Western 7th edition Morrison, W. M., Labonte, M., Sanford, J. E., 2006. China’s currency and Economic Issues. New York: Nova Science Newberry, D., 2007. The Future of Business in China. Available at nextbillion.net/blog/2007/01/02/rising-ventures-beijing-shenwu-the-future-of-business-in-China . People, s daily. 2011. Rising Oil Prices effect on China’s Economy. Available at http://english.peopledaily.com.cn/english/200009/15/eng20000915_50569.html State statistical Bureau., 2010. China Labour Statistical Year Book 2010. Beijing:China Statistics Press. Wang, J., 2010. Why China is so resistant to global recession? Available at commodityonline.com/news/Why-China-is-so-resistant-to-global-recession-16495-3-1.html Wang, M Liu, B., 2006. China’s Economy. China: China Intercontinental Press Warner, M., 2007. Unem ployment in China: Economy, Human resources and Labor markets. New York: Routledge. World Bank Report. 2000. Entering the 21st Century: World Development Report 1999/2000. New York: Oxford University Press for the World Bank.1 Zhongmin, W., 2009. China in the World Economy. New York: Routledge

Communication technology and its impact on social interaction Research Paper

Communication technology and its impact on social interaction - Research Paper Example The Skype video chat was created in the year 2003 in a media class at the John Hopkins University.1 It allows people to chat via its text chat feature and make audio/video calls, all of which is a free service. This explains the fact that popularity of Skype has grown tremendously since its creation. Coupled with this vital feature are its added features including the ability to send contacts, screen-sharing and multiplayer games. Skype has no age restriction for its users. Anyone can use this technology unlike other networking sites that have a strict restriction on those using their sites and applications. In the context of business dealings, face to face interactions have the potential of making the best out of the respective situation.2 A better deal is possible when all the concerned parties meet face to face. This is because these interactions aid in relationship building between prospective clients, partners, investors and employees. Skype is not limited by geographical locali ties; the threshold requirement is the access to internet. Thus, Skype aids in the building of a tight-knit business community. Since the introduction of Skype, firms and individuals, who use this application, have incurred reduced communication costs. As a result, rate and number of interactions using Skype have increased. Increased employee and overall company productivity have been noted with the use of Skype. This is facilitated by Skype’s ability to share a screen, exchange and transfer files. Other additional vital features are: call forwarding, video conferencing and customer service tools. When all these features are used efficiently, increased productivity is guaranteed. Skype is an American company and, thus, has its strongest following there. However, a greater percentage of its profits are from foreign users.3 This shows that Skype is connecting a majority of its users with the outside world; Skype has reduced the hassles associated with long distance communicatio n. This cross border ability to link up people has made life easier for families, companies and governments.4 The business world has benefitted the most from this distinctive feature. Previously, firms and governments used to incur considerable financial costs while facilitating international meetings.5 As such, vital business and government contracts and dealings have been agreed upon and subsequently signed via this technology. When an individual travels to a new place, specifically a foreign country, they suffer psychological setback. When in new confines, the mind cannot be expected to immediately adapt and still maintain its edge and effectiveness. When this is compounded with the impacts of jet lag on the effectiveness of the mind, it appears undesirable to travel a long distance to make business decisions. However, the use of Skype lets an individual stay at their familiar location which has the effect of aiding the mind in the making of well thought-out decisions. Thus, it i s extremely beneficial to have international meetings via Skype. In order to understand the impact Skype has had on the global telecommunication platform, a distinction should be fashioned between the different types of calls. If Skype had opted to charge for its services, akin to phone connections, then its impact on the communication industry would probably be regarded as less significant. However, since the service is free, its impact is nothing short of dramatic. With the goal of

Meteorology assignment Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 250 words

Meteorology - Assignment Example Review the sounding data available from the online repository to estimate the value of CAPE just prior to the occurrence of the Angus tornado. The atmosphere was predisposed to wards severe weather since the Environment Canada had issued tornado warnings for several communities in the area as a line of severe thunderstorms with embedded tornadoes moved into the Lake Simcoe region. On Tuesday at around 5:20 pm, a cold front spawned a number of strong to severe thunderstorms across the southern Ontario. This was said by the environmental of Canada in the storm summary early on Wednesday. i. Suppose lightning was observed in Angus, and that you had a clear line of sight from York University to it. How long would it take for you to hear the thunder corresponding to the Angus lightning? State any assumptions required for this estimation. After the storms, several thousands of homes and businesses I Angus were without power. More than 24 hours, customers in Ontario were still not having electricity. The thunderstorm went out in the following sequence, at 8:47 a.m., the first severe thunderstorm went out, then 10:54 a.m., 2:25 p.m., 2:37 p.m., 3:03 p.m. - 4:54 p.m. then the tornado warning replaces severe thunderstorm warning. According to Environment Canada, the tornado was associated with severe thunderstorm. It was accompanied by large hail, wind gusts greater than or equal to 50kts, or tornado. In other words, it was an Ordinary Cell Thunderstorm. http://www.theweathernetwork.com/news/articles/tornado-rips-through-angus-ontario-several-homes-damaged-no-major-injuries-reported/29754/. The tornado is approximated to travel at a wind speed of between 180-220 km/hr. and with limited wind shear. http://globalnews.ca/video/1475249/return-home-timing-uncertain-for-tornado-victims-in-angus. Tornadoes are very destructive as from the video link above, it led to the death of several people for instance the severe

Human Factors in Security Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 3500 words

Human Factors in Security - Essay Example It only takes a single lapse to put the classified data and information resources at risk. Thus, the sensitive data may be acquired unlawfully, damaged, or modified because personnel have either become complacent or are assuming new responsibilities without specific security awareness. Therefore, efficient security indoctrination measures must be planned and applied to manage all risks associated with Information and Communication Technologies. Managers at all levels have to ensure that, the indoctrination of AAN personnel commences on induction and continues throughout the progression of their career. 2. The Report In the following paragraph a brief report is presented by AAN managers in order to raise a winning bid for a huge contract. 2.1 Highly Secretive Organizations AAN Limited is involved in designing hundreds of small electrical products and consists of highly professional manpower. Over the last 3 years, the company has been exploring the Asian markets. In order to make a su ccessful bid for winning a huge contract for Indian government, the company is required to change its overall structure and working environment. In order to gain the optimum confidence level of Indian government, AAN Limited is going to change itself into a highly secretive organization. It means the company has to create a highly secured and protective environment to keep all of its business projects confidential not only from external factors but also from any unauthorized persons even belong to AAN. On the contrary, a constricted deliberation related to security devices as a whole may initiate a counterfeit confidence in the system (Turn & Ware, 1975). A cultural shift surrounded by in-depth awareness of information security is needed to win the desired contract. AAN can execute this project through its short and long term strategic objectives. This can be achieved by close coordination of planning, communication, peer review, and documentation (Kevin, Gene, & George, 2004) (a) E stablishment of Department of Information Security Management at headquarters level and IT Centre at section levels (b) Formulation of information security doctrine (c) Designation of IT Officers at section level (d) Provision of information security awareness to all personnel (e) Ensure the use of only officially procured and registered hardware and software (f) All hardware and media is to bear appropriate security marking (g) Ensure that no unauthorized hardware is used 2.2 Human Factors in Security 2.2.1 Roles and Responsibilities Roles and responsibilities of all personnel with respect to information security have been clearly defined by all stakeholders. The word ‘security’ means the controlling methods by which a computer, some other devices, or information contained in them are modified (Miller, 1971).

The Scope And Limitation Of The Study An Example

The Scope And Limitation Of The Study An Example The current traditional help desk mechanisms used in UUM-CAS postgraduate help desk department at UUM are no longer enough to support the increase of the interactions between the users and the technical support employees because There is no standard and organized process for handling the users requests. This paper proposes a technical support system that can help students, staff and even lecturers at UUM Postgraduate CAS department to freely interact with the customer service employees by sending their requests and inquiries through a web-based help desk system. In the other side, this proposed system will also increase the productivity of the employees of the customer service department since each specific ticket or problem will received by a specific group of the technical support employees. In order to achieve that , we are going to use a problem tracking technique . This technique will enable the users (students, staff or lecturer) to send their inquiries to the proper person in the customer service department. Also this technique will aim to track the problem or ticket of the users until it gets their direction to the proper person of the customer service employees who will try to solve it within a convenient time. CHAPTER 1 INTRODUCTION 1.0 Background Nowadays, a technical support service plays a main role in a Universitys ability to assist their students , staff and lecturers who really need some information and technical support guides. In the meanwhile , Educational institutions face the challenge of providing technical support to faculty, staff, and students for answering their questions and responding to their inquiries and problems with a suitable solutions and within a convenient time. (Cruess, 2002 and Niedzwiecki Peterson, 2002). Moreover, The main goal of customer service is to provide better overall service to the customer when they contact the customer service employees, either through email, or a phone call. We want to make sure that everyone is satisfied with the first answer they receive with a correct solution in a timely manner. We want to be proactive and resolve as many issues as we can before the customer even notices that something may have gone wrong. The customer should notice an improvement in the turnarou nd time when a help request is submitted, as well as a reduction in the number of times they have to ask for help until he/she gets the solution. (Schauer Thompson, 2004). This proposed study will make an enhancement in the current technical support mechanism used by the UUM Postgraduate technical support department. It will be conducted based on Problem Tracking Technique which help to ensure consistent and quality support, track the information and problems that come into the Help Desk and assign or forward the problems to the appropriate workgroup and follow-up to make sure the problems were corrected. Problem statement Previously, by using the traditional help desk tools, the web interface was just a simple interface with an engine for generating an e-mail to our support staff. When an e-mail is sent to the [emailprotected] for example, different staff will receive it. This sometimes resulted in duplication of work since multiple people could work on the same ticket or email, or no one would handle it since some groups would assume other groups or individuals would be handling a certain email. There was no standard and organized process for handling the users requests. Sometimes no one responded right away and other times multiple people did, showing that we were not very coordinated. The same thing happens when using a traditional phone call as a tool of communicating with the customer service (Schauer Thompson, 2004). Also Recently, there have been increasing number of interactions between users and customer service employees online. Therefore employees must take great deal of time to process in quiries from customers through the Internet (Iwai, Iida, Akiyoshi Komoda, 2010). In this research we are going to concentrate on the UUM Postgraduate CAS department to be as a domain of our study. In the meanwhile, students, staff and lecturers at UUM Postgraduate CAS department have always been able to submit problem reports via e-mail, or by phone. That is still true, but the question is : How effective is the use of these tools? In fact , The current campus help desk has become the hub of support with the many spokes of user services centered on it (Cruess, 2002). Students, staff and lectures do not have to be waited and passed on from one technical support employee to another until they get the answer of their problem or inquiry. In addition, once the student sends his/her problem to the help desk department by email , it will take long time until it gets solved. Because the ticket will not send immediately to the proper person that he/she is aware of the problem that has already been sent .In this case, the number of times that they have to ask for help will increase . As a consequence, and based on the points that we mentioned previously, we proposed a web-based help desk system that can be used as a bridge between the users (students, staff, lecturer) and the technical support employee at UUM Postgraduate CAS department. In order to provide consistent and quality support to the students, staff and lecturers. In the proposed system we are going to use a problem tracking technique to track the information and problems that come from the customers into the Help Desk. In addition, assign or forward the problems to the appropriate workgroup and make sure that the problems are solved. Research Questions Based on the problem statement mentioned before, the following questions are constructed: What are the Limitations of the current UUM Postgraduate CAS help desk system? What are the techniques that we are going to use during the developing stage of the prototype of Postgraduate UUM help desk system? How can we evaluate the effectiveness of the proposed system? Research Objectives The main objective of this study is to enhance the current technical support of UUM Postgraduate department by developing an organized and significant web-based technical support system based on a problem tracking technique. In order To achieve this main objective, some sub-objectives can be formulated: To identify limitations of the current help desk system. To design and develop a prototype web-based help desk system based on problem tracking technique. To evaluate the prototype web-based help desk system based on problem tracking technique among the users. Significance of the study The proposed model will provide a significant and flexible way of communicating between the customer service at UUM and their users. Here are some significant and beneficial achievements that the proposed system is expected to provide: The system can assist the students in postgraduate department to find the solutions for routine questions through FAQ part and manage its requests by using problem tracking technique. The system will help the university to build a strong relationship with their students. Increase the productivity of the employees at work and provide faster and more convenient services to their students, staff or lecturers. All the users requests will directly send to the proper department of the customer service for finding a solution instead of sending all requests to one customer service department and then this department will try to find the suitable person who can answer the incoming request, and here we waste the time. Thus, we expect from this system to enhance the previous customer services tools and make it more effective and organized. Scope and limitation of the study This study will focus on developing a web-based help desk system using a problem tracking technique for Postgraduate UUM-CAS department at UUM. This system will let users (staff, students or lecturers) to freely interact with the technical support employees who have the ability to answer all problems related to the postgraduate services provided by the UUM-CAS. In addition, UUM-CAS postgraduate students can navigate FAQ section which contains a groups of frequently asked questions that are related to UUM-CAS Postgraduate department at UUM and they can find their problem or inquiry there. Moreover, the proposed system will help the students, lecturers, and staff at UUM-CAS postgraduate department to see the latest UUM-CAS postgraduate news and articles added by the technical support employees. The prototype to be developed is based on problem tracking technique. Organization Of The Report This report consists of six chapters which will cover the designing and the developing online help desk system for UUM-CAS postgraduate department at UUM. Here is an overview of the content of each presented chapter: Chapter One: this chapter introduces the problem, gives an overview about the study and describes the needs of help desk systems in the educational sectors. This chapter also discusses the scope of the study, the significance of the study and its objectives. Chapter Two: this chapter covers the literature review which is the previous related works that been done before. Moreover, this chapter represents relevant information for understanding the study more. Chapter Three: this chapter explains the details of the selected methodology that we are going to use in the project. Chapter Four: this chapter discusses about the prototype development and the implementation of the online help desk system for UUM-CAS postgraduate department at UUM. Chapter Five: this chapter discusses the evaluation process of the proposed help desk system. Chapter Six: this chapter discusses the conclusion, recommendations and future works to improve this study. CHAPTER TWO LITERATURE REVIEW Introduction This chapter discusses the relevant help desk researches that had been done before by researchers. Moreover, this chapter presents the current techniques used by UUM-CAS technical support department also it presents the techniques that we are going to use in the proposed study including problem tracking technique. In addition , it discusses the previous researches that had been done before using this techniques. Definition of Online Help Desk System Online Helpdesk as defined by Donna Knapp in a Guide to Customer Service Skill and Helpdesk Professional is a single point of contact within a company for managing customers problem and request and providing solution oriented support services (Knapp, 2009). Online help desk is also define a Help Desk as a formal organization that provides support functions to users of the companys product, services, or technology (Wooten, 2001). Another definition has been defined by Albin who said Technical support is a service. Its about assisting pertaining to technology, especially regarding computers. It is also has to do with providing acceptable, effective and efficient resolutions(Albin, 2002). As a consequence, Helpdesk is usually known as a department within a company that responds to users technical questions or inquires. Background of Online Help Desk Often the term Helpdesk is used for internal support within the organization or for external support groups. Educational Institutions need to provide high quality of customer service and support to respond to the users inquires and problems within a convenient time . A well designed Help Desk product should have the ability for the support customer to be part of the solution by offering a searchable knowledge base of common support issues and questions and a way for customers/users to easily create their own support tickets. With a web based interface, most users are able to navigate simple web forms with fairly high success rates to submit a trouble ticket or find answers to frequently asked questions or common problems. The helpdesk is responsible for bringing an organizations resources together in order to provide its customers with quality support and service (Czengel, 2001 and Vanderlip, 2004). Thus, to be able to choose the right techniques and to use them effectively in the he lp desk system, you have to understand what customers want. Knowing this will help you make sense of the techniques youll be looking at (Bacal, 2005). Benefits of Online Help Desk System Web-based support offers an extremely wide variety of benefits. These will vary depending on factors such as the generation of the support site, the tools employed, the profile of the customer base, the services offered, and so on. Benefits typically originate from two aspects of support: Self-service Single source access The benefits of self-service On a Web-based support site, self-service refers to all information, functions, and services that customers can take advantage of on their own, without having to contact a support representative. Users might view or download information or seminars, search for solutions in a knowledge base, download a software upgrade, or check on the progress of their support log. The primary benefit of self-service is the ability to offer customers some form of support 24 hours a day, seven days a week. These extended hours of support come at no additional cost. The self-service functions you offer on your site would be available around the clock. Another significant benefit of self-service is the reduction in calls to the staffed support area. This means the more calls you are able to divert from your support area to your Web-based support site, the more benefits you will gain. This can achieved by specifying FAQ part in the system which contains the most frequently asked questions which eat up mo st of technical support employees time (Czengel, 2001). The Benefits of Single Source Access A Web-based support site that contains documents such as Knowledge base, FAQs, News, and so onà ¢Ã¢â€š ¬Ã‚ ¦This documents will provide users with a single source access to the service provided by the institute or the organization. Implementing Online Helpdesk System, management can have a single point of contact with the users and resolve their problems (Czengel, 2001). In addition to the two benefits that we have mentioned before there are some other important benefits of using Online Helpdesk Systems and they are as follows: Improved help desk service quality as all inquiries or problems are immediately taken action timely identification, diagnosis and resolution of problem Improved user or customer satisfaction. Providing existing users or customers with knowledge and FAQs (Frequently Asked Questions) concerning the educational institutions services. 24-hour availability which means that the system is available always to receive the problems or inquiries from the users at any time and in any day. Troubleshooting features gives users or customers the ability to solve many support problems on their own. This tool provides the users or customer with an easy way of connecting with the technical support employees and within a convenient time. Serves as a tool for tracking and recording helpdesk inquiries, which provides a knowledge base of resolutions to previous calls concerning similar issues. The Potential Pitfalls of Web-based Support The potential pitfalls in Web-based support come from poor planning and implementation. A site that offers little actual value to the customers or users, no matter how visually perfect it is, is worthless. Sites that are difficult to navigate, that contain out-of-date information, that do not offer help for the most common problems, that are designed at too advanced or too simple a level for the customer base they support all fall into the worthless category. You can spend a fortune on support tools, but if you havent done a thorough job in planning and implementation, your support site will fail and you will get no payback on what you invested. Customers/users will go to alternatives such as telephone support, and getting them back to the Internet would be difficult (Czengel, 2001). Web-Based Application Web application known as an online communication services that client can access through their computer or handheld devices, this communication can be optimized via network support such as the Internet or an intranet (Grove, 2009). Problem Tracking Technique There are many researches had been done before using a Problem Tracking Technique. This technique had been used in order to improve the efficiency of using help desk systems by the users. One of the research that had been already done is a help desk system that had proposed for The Information Technology Services Department in North Dakota State University . The system allows them to track problems by assigned person, assigned group, for a specific user and many other ways. They can generate ad hoc reports to analyze problems that have occurred over a set period of time or by department as needed. Thus, For a help desk to be effective and efficient, it needs to have a proper set of tools. These tools are used to manage the incoming calls, monitor servers and network connections, track problems as they enter the help desk and are transferred to other support units, being able to view the end users screen, documentation, training and many others. User Part Once the user did not find the solution of his /her problem in the FAQ part, he/she is going to use the ticketing system which is one of the system functionality. The user will create a new ticket and include his/her inquiry or problem within this ticket. The process of creating new ticket includes several steps. At the beginning the customers must choose the section that the faced problem belongs to. For example students fees section or registration section. After that, the customer will enter his/her personal information and he can specify a priority to his/her ticket for example urgent or normal .The customer can attach a file with his/her ticket in order to explain his/her problem more (Edwards, 2010 and Kayako, 2009). Technical support employees part After the user completes the process of sending his/her ticket to the suitable group of the technical support employees, here comes the role of technical support employees to respond to this ticket .Each ticket has a status which can be Open, Waiting for reply or Closed .Once the user creates his/her new ticket and sends it to the technical support employees, the status of his/her ticket will be automatically Open since it is a new ticket. Thats mean it needs a reply from the technical support employees. After one of the technical support employees replies this ticket, he/she will change the status of this ticket to be Waiting for reply which means the ticket has been replied by the suitable technical support employee and its status now is Waiting the user to send another reply if the first answer that he/she already got is not clear enough. Suppose that the customer needs more explanation or more details about his/her problem, then after he/she got the reply from the customer servic e, the user can change the status of this ticket from Waiting for reply to be Open and send it again with his/her new inquiry to the customer service employees. The status of the ticket will automatically become closed after a period of time called DUE which is specified by the administrator of the system and it is defined as the maximum time that the ticket will be remained in case of waiting for a response from the user. That means after the expiration of this time, the status of the ticket will be closed. After this time called DUE the ticket will be closed and it will become as a read-only ticket from the side of users. In other words, the problem has been solved and does not need any reply anymore. The last thing that we want to indicate that imagine that a user has sent a ticket to the technical support employees through the system and lets answer this question: what will happen if the ticket still in the queue of the tickets queue without any answers from any technical suppor t employee? In fact this case is the worst case that it might make the user in the status of waiting for reply through unlimited time. In order to handle this problem, In the proposed system there is a part for administrators which enable the help desk managers or administrators to monitor and manage the process of ticketing system. They can view the tickets that no one has answer it and assign it to the suitable technical support employee. (Edwards, 2010; Schauer Thompson, 2004; and Kayako, 2009). Building up FAQ Building up FAQ is also an important task of help desk. The purpose of building up the FAQ is to reduce the number of inquiries that come from users. Users can browse the FAQ pages and clear up their unfamiliar matters before they send emails or tickets to the help desk employees. Help desk employees also can analyze inquiry records, construct questions and add them to the FAQ part. For example, if the help desk employees see that there are questions that come out from users several times, then they can simply organize these questions by added them to the proper group of FAQ section so the users can find it there before they send a new question which is already exists at FAQ section (Iwai, Iida, Akiyoshi Komoda, 2010 and Kayako, 2009). UUM-CAS help desk mechanisms In the meanwhile, the current technical support mechanisms used by UUM-CAS postgraduate technical support department are still limited to phone call and email as a way of communicating between users and the technical support employees. Generally, the disadvantages of using this current techniques are divided into two parts based on email or phone call. The first part of disadvantages are the problems of using phone call as a tool of providing the technical support service. The first problem of using the phone call is that the technical support employees are not always the same who answer the phone. Which means, every time you talk to different technical support employee, you should explain your problem again and again until you get the solution of your problem. The second issue of using a phone call is the wasted time that the user should wait since he/she may pass on from one technical support employee to another until he/she gets the answer of his/her problem or inquiry. The third issue appears during the registration time while the pressure on the technical support center is more comparison to other time and especially on using phone call. At that time, the user should wait on the phone until he/she can talk to the customer service employees since the phone is busy. From the other side, there are some issues comes from using the email as a way of interacting between the users and the customer service employees. First of all, it takes long time from the customer service employees side until they solve the issues since the problem will not be received from the proper technical support employee who has an infrastructure about the problem that had been sent by the users. The second thing is multiple people could work on the same email or no one would handle it since some customer service employees will assume that other employees would handle it. Thus, and as we can see there is no standard and organized way of handling with the users inquiries and problems. Chapter Summary The analysis of literature review had broadened the scope of Online Helpdesk issues. The information and findings collected form this chapter is used as a guidance to develop the Online Helpdesk system. By reviewing the UUM-CAS postgraduate help desk case study, we can conclude that helpdesk system plays an important role in the educational institutions. This chapter has also demonstrated the importance of helpdesk system in the context of UUM-CAS postgraduate help desk department. CHAPTER 3 RESEARCH METHODOLOGY Introduction This chapter discusses the adopted methodology which applied to achieve the objectives of the study in designing and developing the proposed web-based help desk system for UUM-CAS help desk department. Research Methodology Research methodology plays a very important role to proceed and carry out with the whole all research study. Moreover, it is very important to choose the suitable methodology for your study in order to achieve the objectives of the study. In general, a lot of studies that had been done before use the research methodology to achieve many purposes such as gathering data and information, development and evaluation (Refsdal, 2008 Schmuller, 2002). Besides that, Research methodology step makes us fully awareness about the requirements of our study and the problem statement of the research. Thus, The methodology of this research the we are going to apply is based on the five general research steps that are proposed by Vaishnavi Kuechler. These steps includes the awareness of problems, suggestions, development, evaluation, and the conclusion of the research as they are illustrated in the Figure 3.1. The awareness of problems In this step, some important information had been gathered about the current problems and limitations of using the current traditional help desk mechanisms at UUM-CAS help desk department. This can be achieved by interviewing the students, lectures, and staff to see what are the disadvantages of using the current customer service in order to overcome it. Moreover, we can use some beneficial instruments such as questionnaire. In addition, we can collect some information from some related work that had been done before by other researchers. Thus, This step aims to identify the problems and come out with a significant and more organized solution. Suggestions The second step of the methodology of this research is to suggest building a web-based application based on problem tracking technique in order to enhance the current technical support tools used by UUM-CAS help desk department. In this phase, some flow charts and some Unified Modeling Language (UML) diagrams will be used to design the proposed prototype. The Figure 3.2 illustrates briefly the technical support operation of the proposed system: Figure 3.2: Diagram explains the proposed system Design Pattern Design patterns describe how objects communicate without become entangled in each others data models and methods. Keeping this separation has always been an objective of good OO programming, and if you have been trying to keep objects minding their own business, you are probably using some of the common design patterns already (Cooper, 2002). Why Design Pattern? Why do we need to use design pattern? Nowadays computers programs is becoming more complicated, for this reason it is important to have a way of making building software easier and less complexity. For example, SQL Server and Oracle are become the most common databases used in the meanwhile . Lets imagine that we are working in a software company and we already developed a costly system using SQL Server database and because of a certain reason the company wants to change its database server into Oracle. Does that mean we want to ignore everything has been built and start building our new system from scratch? The answer is no of course. By using a design pattern we will be able to build a system which rebuilding ability exists. As a result, we just need to change the part of code which deals with SQL Server with Oracle one. Design pattern has divided the system into layer each layer has its own job starting from the View layer and ending with the database layer and the figure 3.4 belo w is really express what i just mentioned. If we ignore using design pattern in our system , then our system simply will miss the usability technique. As the figure 3.5 shows that we should not ignore the Business tier and dealing directly with the data tier if we do so then it is hard to make changes in the application. Thus, In this case and if we want to change in one place, then we should change in many other places that are related to the change instead of make the changes in one place by using the organized design patterns. To explain how does the design pattern technique work, lets take the following scenario : Once the system has started, it will collect some configurations from configuration file about the connection string of the database and the name of Business Logic Layer DLL (BLL). That means the connection with the database will not establish until the business layer successfully retrieved the configuration from the configuration file. Business Logic Layer is responsible for retrieves data from the data layer, so the business logic layer plays the role of mediator between presentation layer and database layer. IDAL (Interface Data Access Layer) is an interface that we just need to deal with it regardless the type of database that the system works with. Hardware Requirements Of The System Since the proposed system is a web-based application, so to run the system on the web environment we need a web application server that can handle the requests that come from the users of the proposed help desk system. In addition to the web server, To run the system on the web server, it has to have the minimum hardware characteristics that enable the web server from installing dot net features such as dot net framework which is necessary to run the application on the web server smoothly and successfully. Software Requirements Of The System As we mentioned in the hardware requirements of the system, we need to install the dot net framework on the web server since the developing environment of the proposed system is Microsoft Visual Studio and this framework is necessary to run the application successfully on the server. Besides that, a web browser application is necessary to be installed which is the middle tool that will make the connection with the system application which is running on the server side. User Requirements Of The System Generally, The user of the proposed system is divided into three categories. That is, UUM users (student and lecturer), technical support employee, and administrator. Each group of the system has its role based on its authority of using the system. Since the proposed system consists of three parts ( User, Technical support employee, Administrator) , each group of the users can use the suitable part based on their authority. UUM users can use the user part of the system to submit the problems as a tickets to the customer service employees. In addition, they can see the latest news and articles added by the customer service employees and download the files that are related to UUM-CAS. While the technical support employees are responsible to respond to the tickets that come from the user part, in addition to manage the articles, news and download sections in the user part. The last part is the administrator which is responsible to manage the technical support part throw adding new group in addition to manage the technical support employees. Development A software development process is a process to build a software product or to enhance an existing one. Moreover, the Development stage of the research methodology is the most significant stage in our study since it represents the answer o

Cochlear Implants and the Internet :: Health Disability

On-line communities are something I have never participated in. I have always felt (due to personal observations of friends using chat rooms and listening to other’s renditions of their experiences) these communities can, and most often do, consume inordinate amounts of time and spare time is a rare commodity for me. Beyond the time consumption, from my observations of chat rooms, there are rarely any well-thought-out responses to the topic of discussion. In fact, often there are inane and childish retorts that just stir up the emotions of those involved and tend to sidetrack the majority as they rally against the perpetrator. On the other hand, I assume there are places where professionals can have relevant and introspective discussions, but I had never viewed, participated in or even read archived logs of such discourse. I imagine these â€Å"professional† discussions could be highly beneficial interactions for problem solving, as well as being supportive while offering constructive criticism. Since my specialty is education of the deaf and hard-of-hearing (D/HH), I have been exposed to the highly emotionally charged debates on the issue of cochlear implants (CI). I was interested in finding out how easy (or difficult) it would be for hearing parents with deaf children to receive balanced and unbiased information on cochlear implants. Could they acquire the knowledge they would need in order to make informed decisions on behalf of their children on the World Wide Web? For those unfamiliar with CIs, the simplest explanation is to think of it as a high powered hearing aid which is surgically implanted in the recipient’s head (actually the inner ear) and feeds electrical impulses directly to the brain. It does not take away or alter a person’s deafness. When the processor is on, the implant stimulates hearing. When it is turned off, the hearing is gone. Maybe a short description of the process would be appropriate to insert here before continuing. First a recess is drilled in the temporal bone of the skull (behind the ear) and a magnetic disk is placed in this well. Connected to this disk is a wire—actually a bundle of wires depending on the CI’s number of channels or frequencies.

Domestic Violence among African Americans Essay

Domestic violence is abuse that occurs within a personal relationship. It can occur between former or current spouses or significant others. Domestic violence doesn’t have a name it affects both men and women of any race, religion; gay or straight; upper class or low class; adolescents, adults, or seniors. But most of its victims are women rather men. While domestic violence is present in all races, the existence among African Americans is significantly higher in the United States. There are many elements that have been shown to stimulate a person to engage in domestic violence examples are failing relationships, lack of employment, poor school systems, violent communities, drug use and the multitude of nearby accessible liquor stores. Experiencing any these situations can lead to strong emotions that can ultimately result in domestic violence. People who experience domestic violence are deeply affected and often live in fear. This plague has broken down and destroyed many African American communities. There are serious physical and mental health risks involved in domestic Violence. Abortion, stress, unconsented sexual encounters, possible suicides, complicated pregnancies and murder are few possible physical results from domestic violence. (Bent-Goodley, 2004) Abuse, control and violence are components of domestic violence. Neither the abuser nor the person being abused are winners in these type of situations. The abuser actions shows characteristics of controlling, anger, oppressor, possessiveness, power and liar. The abusers victims are usually people that can be manipulated, scared and shielded by the abuser. Although the abuser may be an adult most often their mental capacity displays child like behavior. A child will typically throw fits and become angry when things don’t go their way or they didn’t get what they wanted. This anger that possess is shown through mental and physical abuse . Abuser are usually not very open people and they believe that are right in every situation. However, they never take the blame for their actions and tend to blame others, most often their spouse. The victims  of abuse tend to show characteristics of having low self-esteem, sadness and being unconfident about themselves. Often the victim believes that this type of physical and verbal abuse should be inflicted upon them. (Agazie, 2011) Generally, a victim or spouse show signs of previously experiencing an unstable and hostile childhood, and possibly being abused as a child. As a result, they feel like an unwanted and scared child who is weak, instead of like an adult. African Americans who survive domestic violence, child abuse and community violence consistently engage in various types substance abuse at higher rates. (Hill, et al, 2012) African American abusers who has previously used a weapon or threatened their spouse with one during arguments, will more than likely kill them by lethal violence. It is stated that 80% of African American women who have murdered their partners had a history of abuse. Violence and nonviolence have been proven behaviors that are learned. Social and cultural beliefs, outlooks on life, examples, role models influences on whether a person decides to engage in volatile or nonvolatile behavior. It is very key to know how a person elects to use violence or nonviolence. (Wimberly, 2000) Statistics have shown that African American women are more prone to leave an abusive relationship and then return to it compared to white women. (Agazie, 2011) African American women suffer mistreatment over a long period of time and have a tendencies fight back. Close to 50% of victims that attempt to leave their abusive relationship are killed by their partners. (Williams, et al, 2008) African American women are brought up as younger girls under strong religious belief and family values. They are taught at a young age that once you get married you do what it takes not to become a victim of divorce. They are told that it may not be easy but you are married for life once you have made that commitment. With this type of upbringing African American women tend to procrastinate and often hesitate leaving an unhealthy marriage due to their beliefs. Most people don’t not understand the reasoning behind women staying in this form of relationship. While the reasons for their reluctances to leave an abusive relationship are uncertain, some likely justifications would be (1) when searching for a spouse African American women have a smaller amount of choices than White women; (2) African American women’s income is normally lower than of most  White women; (3) Black women are reluctant to call the police due to the trust that African American in the justice system. Unfortunately, most battered and abused Black women find no other way out of the relationship and resort to killing their partners. Losing financial means may also contribute to the reason why African American women of lower class are reluctant to report abuse. The abusing spouse may take care of the victim financially by providing a place to stay, clothes and food and, in order to keep their current living status so they remain quiet about the abuse. Reputation may play a part in why African American women of higher class hesitate to report abuse because they don’t want to put their reputation at risk. Another reason why abused victims remain quiet is because they may not be taken serious by law enforcement. It has been confirmed that domestic violence is treated more like a private family matter rather than serious matter. Typically when law enforcement is called to a domestic violence scene, no arrest is usually made and if they are ever prosecuted the case is usually dismissed. (Hampton, et al, 2008) In many cases I have found that the African American community seems to accept, if not encourage, the domestic violence that exists within it. While it is easy to blame education or social rank for a couple’s behavior or society’s reaction to it, these factors are often not as important as one might expect. A woman with multiple degrees or at the highest level of social strata is as vulnerable to domestic violence as the woman who did not graduate form high school. It equally as likely for a man who is born to an upper middle class family and a man born to a family tha t lives in poverty to participate in an abusive relationship. The Black church has always and continues to be a pillar of strength to Black families and communities. The Black church has been a powerful force in the Black community. Domestic violence is a tough situation to endure, so many African Americans turn to prayer to cope with the difficulties in their lives. (Watlington & Murphy, 2006) The Black church has been unreliable and, at times, inadequate in reacting to domestic violence situations. (Bent- Goodley, et al, 2012) For instance on August 22, 2007, Bishop Thomas Weeks, pastor of an independent ministry that worked out of the Global Destiny Church (Haines, 2007) assaulted his wife, Juanita Bynum. This assault is significant not only for the positions held by the participant, but also for the actions taken by the African American  community itself. According to Haines (2007) the community did not speak out against the pastor after the beating. Rather, some members of the community spoke in support for the pastor. Haines quotes one individual as posting a message to Weeks’ MySpace page that read, â€Å"Bishop Weeks, don’t be discouraged, but be encouraged. Stand firm and know that the Lord is mighty in battle†. Haines reports that another community member asked her own pastor about the Weeks domestic abuse case, only to find that â€Å"he had no reaction to the abuse and only provided him with scriptures.† making her wonder what he could offer her if she were a victim of domestic abuse (Haines, 2007). While this situation may be distressing, it is not unusual. According to Jordan (2005) â€Å"When African American men act as bullies toward African American women they tend to engage in active-passive renunciation†, which leaves abused women the choice of speaking out or being ostracized. What kind of message does this send? As a young girl I watched my mother be abused countless times by my very own father. She endured this abuse for many years and it appeared as though she would never leave him. It was as if she was accepting of it or had merely gotten used to it. Then one day after 13 years she left and didn’t look back. Although she didn’t speak out about it, she removed herself from the situation. Most of my family knew about the situation but never brought it up. Years later my father eventually changed for the better. I believe that change has to come from within. You can acquire help and assistance but until you want to change no one can help you. It is difficult to create successful programs and mediation approaches that are geared towards domestic violence without fully understanding how African Americans grasp and distinguish this disease. (Bent-Goodley, 2013) Domestic abuse is not distinctive to the African American community. As it stands, whether an African American woman is rich or poor, educated or not, she is at grave risk of being abused by her partner. As it stands, that woman is also at grave risk of being rejected by her community and even her family, if she speaks up about her abuse. Domestic abuse is not limited to only woman but the percentages are outstandingly high compared to an abused make victim. This violence must come to an end. Through education from within, it might be possible to initiate change. References Williams, Oliver J.; Oliver, William; Pope, Marcus. (2008). Domestic Violence in the African American Community. Journal of Aggression, Maltreatment & Trauma, Vol. 16 Issue 3, p229-237. 9p. Agazie, Maxine. (2011). Cultural Considerations Impacting Domestic Violence Among African American Women: Implications for Social Work. Conflict Resolution & Negotiation Journal, Issue 1, p138-141. 4p. Watlington, Christina G.; Murphy, Christopher M. (2006). The roles of religion and spirituality among African American survivors of domestic violence. Journal of Clinical Psychology, Vol. 62 Issue 7, p837-857. 21p. Bent-Goodley, TB. (2013). Domestic Violence Fatality Reviews and the African American Community. HOMICIDE STUDIES, Vol. 17, Issue 4; p375-p390. Bent-Goodley, Tricia B. (2004). Perceptions of Domestic Violence: Health & Social Work, Vol. 29 Issue 4, p307-316. 10p. Hill, Nicholle; Woodson, Kamilah; Ferguson, Angela; Parks, Carlton. (2012). Intimate Partner Abuse among African American Lesbi ans: Prevalence, Risk Factors, Theory, and Resilience. Journal of Family Violence, Vol. 27 Issue 5, p401-413. 13p. Campbell, Jacquelyn; Campbell, Doris W.; Gary, Faye; Nedd, Daphne; Price-Lea, Patricia; Sharps, Phyllis W.; Smith, Cheryl. (2008). African American Women’s Responses to Intimate Partner Violence: An Examination of Cultural Context. Journal of Aggression, Maltreatment & Trauma, Vol. 16 Issue 3, p277-295. 19p Bent-Goodley, Tricia; St. Vil, Noelle; Hubbert, Paulette. (2012). A Spirit Unbroken: The Black Church’s Evolving Response to Domestic Violence. Social Work & Christianity. 2012, Vol. 39 Issue 1, p52-65. 14p. Wimberly, Edward P. (2000). The Civil Rights Movement as a Potential Mentoring Model for Ending Domestic Abuse. Journal of Religion & Abuse, Vol. 2 Issue 1, p33. 16p. Hampton, Robert L. LaTaillade, Jaslean J.; Dacey, Alicia; Marghi, J. R. (2008). Evaluating Domestic Violence Interventions for Black Women. Journal of Aggression, Maltreatment & Trauma , Vol. 16 Issue 3, p330-353. 23p. Haines, E. (2007). Charges against husband put new focus on televangelist. USA Today.com. Retrieved from http://www.usatoday.com/news/religion/2007-09-01-ynum_N.htm Jordan, L. M. (2005). Domestic violence in the African American community. Retrieved from http://new.vawnet.org/Assoc_Files_VAWnet/RoleoftheBlackChurch.pdf

Free sample - The Importance of MBA Degree. translation missing

The Importance of MBA Degree. The Importance of MBA DegreeThe field of business management and administration comprises specific areas such as marketing, accounting, operations management etc. It’s my firm belief that successful business can’t do without employees possessing high level of proficiency and experience. Thus, I am convinced that it is MBA degree that provides great opportunities for aspired students with profound knowledge and potentials. MBA programs have significantly proved to lay the robust foundations of comprehensive business awareness necessary for ambitious, dependable, result-aimed leaders. Owing to the fact that the sphere of my knowledge application was and is still tightly connected with business management, I deeply realize that MBA is what I’m striving to obtain in order to further accumulate, cultivate and advance the attainments I’ve already got. Right after college I got down to work in the financial services industries namely at Citigroup, Investment Banking. By nature I am hard-working and willing to learn, so in this tough time I had to collect all my efforts not to let my team down. Because there were company staff cuts only two executives became to be responsible for the work done – my manager and me. My accountability, courage and rigor appeared to be the features which helped me successfully cope with the overwork and deadlines. The senior management decisions depended on my analyses and reports which needed to be accurate and faultless. Thus, efficiently and effectively performing my duties I managed to earn respect and become trustw orthy in the eyes of my colleagues. My further plans were conditioned by the desire to broaden the horizons of my activity in business. Moreover, my sense of responsibility was enhanced considering that I was a bread-winner in the family and the fact of my legal stay in the US only through the work visa was to some extent a challenge but I was persistent in reaching my aims. In June 2009 I became the member of Blueprint by Ronke (BbR) Event Management and thus was involved in event planning and management business. Such field of business presupposes active, initiative, creative and reliable people able both to organize and control team work, at the same time develop cohesion, unity and integrity among the members. My first project was concerned with showcasing diverse talents of different genres and I wanted to emphasize the many-faceted surrounding community and promote young artists. In addition, this event served financial contribution to the organization Link a Child focused on help for African children in need. I pursued high-standard show which could attract versatile individuals both the performers and professionals from music and media industry. It was a considerable step for me on the way of my career growth and development of supervising qualities along with previous experience as an executive. I was able to apply my managing skills to display contrast and individuality of people with varied flairs.

Struggle Between Good and Evil †Everyman Essay

Struggle Between Good and Evil – Everyman Essay Free Online Research Papers Struggle Between Good and Evil Everyman Essay Life is a struggle between good and evil. This concept is clearly shown in the play â€Å"Everyman.† In this play, God summons Death to search out Everyman and tell him that he must make a pilgrimage to his final reckoning to decide if he could enter paradise or not based on his actions while he was alive. Death promises to catch everyman who lives outside Gods law. While searching for everyman, Death notices Everyman walking unconcerned about anything except treasures, Death orders him to stand still and asks if he had forgotten his God. Death then goes on to say that God has asked to him to tell Everyman that he must to make a long journey, and he is to take with him his â€Å"full book of accounts.† Finally, Death warns Everyman to be careful because he has done many bad deeds and only a few good ones. Everyman argues saying that death was the farthest things from his mind at that moment and tries to bribe death into giving him more time. Death then says no man can bribe me regardless of worldly goods or rank, when summoned by god all men must obey. Everyman cries in vain for more time then asks if he must go on the long journey alone. Death says that everyman is allowed to take any companions who wish to make the journey with him. Reminding him that his life is only his on loan, Death advises that he will return soon, and in the meantime Everyman has an opportunity to find any possible companions for his journey. Unable to find an accomplice for the journey, Everyman turns to Goods, whom represents worldly treasures and greed, whom he has loved all of his life. Goods listens to his plea and offers to help him until he learns that the journey is travel far and wide. Goods promptly refused saying â€Å"I am brittle and would break easily.† But Everyman argues that Goods was suppose to solve all problems. Then goods argues that he would only make Everyman look worse in the eyes of god because bringing goods would only make Everyman look greedy. Consumed in self pity, Everyman calls aloud to Good-Deeds and asks for help. Good-Deeds answers feebly, since he is lying on the cold ground, bound by sins. Good-Deeds knows of the journey everyman has to take and wants to go along, but he is too weak. Good-Deeds tells his sister, Knowledge, to stay with Everyman until he regained his strength. Knowledge then guides everyman to Confession, who gives everyman a penance. After getting the penance, Good-Deeds is able to get up from the ground, cured of sickness, and declares himself able to go on the journey and promises to help Everyman tell his good deeds before god. Then Good-Deeds also gets his friends to counsel Everyman Strength, Beauty, Discretion, and the Five Wits. Finally, Everyman is prepared to meet Death with all his friends. Then suddenly one by one his friends all leave except Good-deeds. Then an angel comes and takes Everyman to paradise and then the play ends with a doctor reminding everyone that only good deeds will help men at final judgement and no one else. Research Papers on Struggle Between Good and Evil - Everyman EssayHarry Potter and the Deathly Hallows EssayThe Masque of the Red Death Room meaningsMind TravelArguments for Physician-Assisted Suicide (PAS)Capital PunishmentComparison: Letter from Birmingham and CritoThe Hockey GameThe Fifth HorsemanWhere Wild and West MeetMarketing of Lifeboy Soap A Unilever Product

Sacrament of Baptism Research Paper Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 1250 words

Sacrament of Baptism - Research Paper Example Baptism is seen as a way to salvation for the Catholics who consider the church as the universal sacrament of salvation. Catholics believe that the manner in which one is baptized is not important but the idea that they are baptized is. The person administering the sacrament must not be a priest but anyone who has undergone baptism themselves. However, during critical moments for instance in sickness or near death, anyone can administer the sacrament provided they follow the right way of doing it. The father or other right authority will then conduct a conditional baptism (Vorgrimler, 2002). This paper will seek to critically evaluate the concept of the sacrament of baptism and its relevance in a Christian’s life or at least for the churches that practice it. The paper will seek to view the sacrament from other Christians views and also give a scholarly critique to the act. This paper will evaluate what the bible says in the old and new testaments about salvation and baptism. This is has been perhaps the most controversial concern with baptism (Berkhof, 2006). The sacrament of Baptism The practice of the sacrament is normally conducted by the pries pouring water on the forehead of the faithful while saying the words â€Å"I baptize you in the name of the Father, son, and Holy Spirit.† This indicates that the member has been officially initiated into the ways of the church and through that he or she is saved since the church is the sacrament of salvation. The Anglicans also believe the sacrament is the only sure way to salvation. So, what is the necessity of baptism? Is it really important? What does the bible say about baptism and salvation? Old Testament on Baptism The old testament doesn’t really talk about baptism, or at least as we know it. Baptism is viewed in a symbolic form. For instance, the Noah case; when God got angry and ordered that every animal in the world be allowed into the ark with eight other people. The eight people were in a way saved by God through water. The water is a symbol of baptism for the eight people in the boat. In this regard, baptism is viewed as a sort of cleansing to the world. God cleansed the world through the use of water. This is the closest that the old testament has come to baptism, albeit symbolically (Osborne, 2008). New Testament on Baptism The oldest form of baptism ever recorded was done by John the Baptist and recorded in the New Testament. He then went ahead to announce to people that people should be baptized in order to clean them off their sins. Baptism, according to John the Baptist was to show that they had repented their sins. John the Baptist performed his miracles using water in the river Jordan. He did so by immersing the believers into the river and then they emerged baptized and born again. This is in the book of Luke. When John is found baptizing people by the river and believers ask him questions, he answers by telling them that he is baptizing them with wat er but someone is coming who is greater than he is †¦ and will baptize them with the holy spirit and with fire. This form of baptism is a

The Jazz Combos Concert Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 500 words

The Jazz Combos Concert - Essay Example Some of the performers featured during the concert included Kelsey Marvin, Jeff Hampton, and Sarah Rodger among others. This paper discusses my thoughts and feelings about the Jazz Combos concert held on April 4 this year. The performers’ notation was good for the octatonic pieces, despite the fact that they are diatonic to a lack of the key. This demonstrates that the universal rules for non-harmonic tones were applicable to the performances. Ascending notes took naturals or sharps – either flat or descending. The signature style for Jazz performances stood throughout the performance. In developing a swing feel, there were notable ways that included the notation of the bass lines as quarter note pieces. However, there was a high sense of repetitiveness and predictability throughout the performance, which appeared to limit the forward motion aspect of the swing bass effect. Throughout the performances, the basic rule that the double bass should not be used to play a sim ple single-measure line, which is repetitive, was observed.   This shows that the performances were highly stylistic and were presented before the audience in an effective manner (Cone 48). There were instances where the piano accompaniment was placed on the music’s beat, instead of using it to anticipate alternating beats, which marked a weakness in many of the performances. In some performances, like I anticipated all the performances to be played, the chords were played in staccato-against on-the-beat music lines, which were used effectively, to create the musical yin and yang characteristic of the swing feel. The style was very effective in cultivating the interest of the audience and demonstrating its artistic nature. As expected from the performances, most artists used modified block chords – which they employed, when comping with the melody of a walking bass (Cone 42).